A meeting with Dragons leads to a new friendship with Richmond Mencap

As one of the founding board members of One Richmond, I recently met the team from Richmond Mencap at a Dragons’ Den-style event hosted by One Richmond at The Exchange in Twickenham, where local charities pitched for funding to a panel of philanthropists. As soon as we started talking, I knew our two organisations would be a great fit. I got in touch afterwards and invited them to bring some of their participants to Park Lane for riding and carriage driving sessions during the school holidays.

Richmond Mencap during their pitch to the ‘Dragons’

Richmond Mencap offers people with learning disabilities, their families and carers support, advice and opportunities to help them thrive in their local community.

Six adults came to visit us, together with their parents, carers and support staff. None of the participants had been to Park Lane before, so understandably there were a few nerves about coming somewhere completely new.

Welcoming six new participants at once was no small task. We didn't yet know them as individuals, what support they might need or how they would respond to the horses and their new surroundings. But that's exactly what our team does so well. We take the time to get to know the person in front of us and adapt each experience to suit them.

Everyone had the opportunity to ride and try carriage driving, while parents and carers enjoyed a cup of tea in our community room, chatting and making new connections. I loved seeing that happen. So often, the benefits of a visit to Park Lane extend far beyond the person riding or carriage driving.

Ben was one of the adults who joined us. His mum, Susanne, told us afterwards:

"His support staff told me he was so excited, he couldn't get there quickly enough! Ben is a very quiet, gentle, calm young man with autism who finds it hard to communicate. Thank you to everyone at the stables for making his morning so enjoyable."

Another parent shared:

"Just wanted to thank you for organising the horse riding this morning. It was a fantastic experience for both Emily and myself. I was very proud of her overcoming her anxiety and taking part fully in the event. The staff at Mencap and the stables were so supportive and made it a very special time."

Messages like these mean the world to us. Better still, one of the participants enjoyed their visit so much that they've already signed up to become a weekly Park Lane participant from September. We couldn't be more delighted.

I came away feeling incredibly proud of what we'd achieved. We'd welcomed six adults we'd never met before, introduced them to our wonderful horses and, hopefully, started the beginning of a lasting partnership with another fantastic local charity. It was equally lovely to see parents and carers making new friendships and supporting one another too.

I have a feeling this is just the beginning, and I hope we'll be welcoming our new Richmond Mencap friends back to Park Lane very soon.

Richmond Mencap is just one example of a charity committed to making better the lives of children and adults living with disabilities. Thanks to funding we’ve recently received, we were able to provide the sessions at no cost to anyone from Richmond Mencap. Being able to use funding we’ve been given to open up opportunities like this is exactly what we want to do. If you’d like to contribute, head over to our donate page.